The Last Enemy
by LUVdan934
Summary: This is Lily and James' lives through Hogwarts from 1st year to 7th year. This is a James x Lily story about how they managed to fall in love. - Third person omniscient - I'm aware that this isn't 100% accurate but I tried to make it as believable as possible! Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

It was September 1st and sunlight streamed through the windows lining the ceiling of Platform 9 3/4. Lily Evans peered at her watch for the millionth time that minute. Knowing the following was inevitable, she gave another pleading look to her sister. Petunia Evans was glaring daggers at the people around her until she shifted her eyes to land on her sister's. Knowing it was her final chance to patch things up, Lily spoke.

"Tuney," she began with her childhood nickname, "I'm sorry. So unbelievably sorry! It was just an accident, I'm sure, and I would never let anything like that happen to you if I had known! I–"

Petunia scoffed. "It's not about that! You stand there, thinking you're so special going to school to learn and have magic while being around other people just like you!"

Lily paused at her sister's words. She thought this was about the incident with Snape. But maybe it was something else, she couldn't tell.

"...I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen–" Lily grabbed Petunia's inching away hand to better make a connection with her. "Maybe, once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"

Petunia struggled to wrench her hand out of Lily's grip. "I don't–want–to–go!" she exclaimed. "You think I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a–a–you think I want to be a–a freak?" she finally spit out.

Lily felt her heart breaking; if she wasn't close to tears before, she certainly was now. Petunia finally tugged her hand free. Lily was finally alone. "I'm not a freak. That's a horrible thing to say," she muttered.

"That's where you're going," Petunia continued with relish, "A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy… weirdos, that's what the two of you are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety."

As Lily's heart stung more with the cruel words, she looked for her parents. They were both standing a ways away, blissfully unaware of the two of them while they drank in the sights of the exciting wizarding community. She turned back to Petunia, gaining a new strength to defend herself and not be denounced by her sister.

"You didn't think it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the Headmaster and begged him to take you." Lily retorted. Petunia's face reddened.

"Beg? I didn't beg!" she sputtered.

"I saw his reply. It was very kind."

"You shouldn't have read–That was was my private–how could you–?"

A memory flashed in Lily's mind. She and Snape going into her room one day and finding a Hogwarts letter on her nightstand. They read it as an investigation. Knowing Snape was a few feet away, Lily glanced at her shared secret keeper as a force of habit. Petunia gasped.

"That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!"

"No, not sneaking! Severus saw that envelope, and he couldn't believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of–"

"Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!" Petunia exclaimed, her red face replaced to one of pale terror, "Freak!" she finally spat before fleeing to the familiarity of her parents. Lily stood for a moment, trying to gain control of her tears. 'Put on a brave face', she thought, 'Just get on the train.'

Lily said goodbye to her parents as they sent her off with words of love and absolute pride for her. Petunia stayed away. The wizard conductor gave the final call for boarding and Lily wasted no time stepping onto the train, desperately needing a compartment to herself for a while.

Locating an empty car near the end of the train, she hastily entered and shut the door. Taking the seat nearest to the window, Lily rested her forehead against the cool glass overlooking the packed platform littered with wizard parents, and screeching owls. This is when she finally let her tears fall freely. Why didn't Petunia love her anymore? She probably was a freak. Maybe she was making up her magic ability. It probably wasn't real.

Outside the compartment, a group of first year boys blocked the door, shouting and talking excitedly about magic. Lily hated them for no reason. There was a sudden lurch as the train sprung to life. Lily brushed her tears away as the car door opened and someone from the cluster in the corridor poked his head in. A boy with a mess of dark black hair on his head and grey eyes met Lily's green ones.

"Hey, mind if we join you?" he asked. Before Lily could respond, the door was opened further, letting three more first years join the boy in taking their seats. Lily found this kind of rude but brushed those thoughts aside, as she would have said yes to him anyway.

The grey eyed boy stuck his hand out for Lily to shake. "I'm Sirius by the way," he said confidently. Lily took Sirius' hand.

"I'm Lily. Pleased to meet you." By now, the other boys had their attention on Lily.

The boy with a slimmer face and brown hair stuck his hand up in an awkward wave. "I'm Remus," he greeted.

The boy with a messier head of hair than Sirius flamboyantly stretched across the compartment, extending his hand for Lily to shake. "James Potter," he exclaimed.

Shaking James' hand Lily looked to the last boy to introduce himself, who had mousy brown hair and was the shortest of the four.

"I'm Peter. Hello," he mumbled sheepishly.

James took his hand away abruptly and started ruffling in his school trunk for something. The air was then draped in an unpleasant silence and Lily turned her head to again be leaning against the window. Remus, Peter and Sirius started discussing Quidditch teams which Lily listened halfheartedly, having heard of this briefly from Snape in one of their hang outs.

Sirius watched as James rummaged from his trunk. He gasped suddenly at something tucked just out of sight. "What are these?!" he gasped as he lunged for the stack of cards. James looked up to see what had been discovered. He smiled superiorly. "That's only my collection of Chocolate Frog cards. I've gathered them for years and that's not going to stop now that I've got school," Sirius leafed through them excitedly. "There's rare ones in there so don't mess any of them up," James warned. The onlooking Peter choked on air as he studied the deck.

"Morgana Le Fey and Herpo the Foul?! How'd you get these?" Peter asked.

"I got talent," James bragged.

"Stole them off some bloke, more like it," Sirius stared in disbelief.

"And, look," James grabbed a second deck from in his trunk. "Mint condition Merlin." James had become a god… In the vaguest of senses. Remus had disappeared some time ago behind a copy of 'How Not To Blow Off Your Fingers On The First Day' by Julius Gummidge. He peered at the door and straightened his back.

"Look alive, mates," Remus smiled at the compartment doors as they opened and a cheerful old woman peered in with a welcome, "Anything from the trolley, dears?"

"One chocolate cauldron, please," Peter asked politely, handing over the sickles to pay.

Sirius fished out a few sickles and knuts and handed them to the lady. "Licorice wand and pumpkin pasties please," he ordered curtly.

Remus and James both paid for Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans. When the trolley lady looked to Lily if she wanted anything, she politely refused with a shake of her head. After the compartment door was closed again, comfortable silence started as the boys ate their sweets. These were only fueling the sugar high that soon took over all of them. Sirius and James ended up in a wrestling match, one which Sirius was winning but James wasn't having any of that. Remus and Peter, however, were loudly cackling at the many wrongly drafted players of the Chudley Cannons. Lily stayed with her face towards the window, keeping out of unwanted attention for the moment.

Watching the sunny countryside pass, Petunia crept back into focus in Lily's mind. Her sister hated her. There was nothing she could do to change that, no matter what. It was hopeless. Lily faintly heard footsteps stop suddenly outside the compartment. The door swept open and closed and Severus Snape took his seat directly across from her. Glancing at him, she could only imagine what the obvious tear streaks on her face looked like to him.

"I don't want to talk to you," Lily said in a constricted tone.

"Why not?" was all he could ask.

Speaking to Severus made Lily delve back to her problems she wanted to ignore above all others. She took a shuddery breath, "Tuney h–hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore."

"So what?" Severus asked in such genuine nonchalant that made Lily angry. She glared at him.

"So she's my sister!" she snapped at him. Lily wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, careful to not give telltale signs of crying from the other people in the carriage with them. Severus said something else, but Lily didn't want to hear any defense from him.

"But we're going!" Severus pointed out to her. "This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" his excitement was impossible to ignore and it got an optimistic look from Lily despite her awful mood. Severus saw that slight change and relaxed, glad to be free of the tension between them. "You'd better be in Slytherin," he added with a new confidence in him.

When that comment reached the ears of the others in the compartment, the James boy swiveled around to give it full attention. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he asked the question to Sirius across from him.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," Sirius replied with no smile reaching his face.

"Blimey, and I thought you seemed all right!"

"Maybe I'll break the tradition," Sirius smiled at the idea. "Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?"

James answered by raising an invisible sword heroically in victory. "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad."

Severus scoffed slightly which made James turn on him. "Got a problem with that?" he demanded.

"No," he answered with a noticeable sneer that said otherwise, "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius slyly asked.

James let out a howl of laughter which was the cue for Lily to leave the compartment with Severus. She stood up and glared at James and Sirius who were laughing with the other two of their entourage. "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment." she said hotly.

"Oooooooooo…" James and Sirius drawled in high voices, imitating Lily. James stuck out his leg to trip Severus on his way out. Before the compartment could close, Peter suddenly called out, "See ya, Snivellus!" with an air of confidence.

Lily slammed the doors shut on the boys and laughter erupted from inside.

"So. Where's your seat?" she asked Severus.

"Just follow me."

The two ended up in a carriage with a couple of Ravenclaws. After idle small talk, Lily and Severus sat comfortably in each other's company. The train ride from that point was pleasant as the thought of the terrible group of boys was pushed away as the excitement of the new year flooded the mind.

When Lily changed into her school robes, it was dark outside and Hogwarts could be seen faintly in the distance. The Hogwarts Express was rushing over grassy fields freshly dewed from mid-day showers so it sparkled extravagantly in the moonlight, replacing Lily's nervousness with pure astonishment. The train came to a stop and Severus and Lily stepped onto the stoney path ahead of them hand in hand as they looked at the massive figure calling out, "Firs' years! Firs' years follow me!" holding a large lantern the size of a large owl cage.

The giant man led all the new students down a narrow downhill path that led to the edge of an enormous lake. From there, the Hogwarts castle was in full view and everyone marveled at it. Perched on a mountain on the opposite side of the lake, the glinting lights from within shining like stars, the castle seemed like a dream.

"Only four in a boat!" instructed the towering man.

Lily and Severus got in one of the boats followed by two other girls. The train group Lily met before all filed loudly in a boat thankfully a ways away from theirs. Once everyone was filed into boats, they pushed off from the shore onto the mirror still water. No one spoke except for the obvious few.

"Excuse me, sir! But, what do people call you? And why are we following you blindly?" James asked bluntly.

The giant man looked mildly surprised at this question, as if no first year ever had the courage to ask someone so intimidating anything. His eyes twinkled with the opportunity to meet someone truly interested. "The name's Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Yeh can all call me Hagrid. An' I'm in charge of gettn' all yeh firs' years to the castle fer sortin'!" he introduced. There was silence once more.

"So, if you're the groundskeeper, you tend to the lake as well?" James asked again.

"Tha's right."

"Is it true there's a giant squid living down there?"

"Ah… yes."

"When was the last time it ate a student?"

"Never, I don' think"

"Perfect. A new feat," James beamed optimistically. With a jolt, he faked lunged at Peter, causing him to panic and lurch the boat to be dangerously close to capsizing. Neighboring boats burst out laughing, making the tension melt away as the students passed under a huge cliff, through a curtain of ivy, and through a dark tunnel that led to an underground harbor right underneath the castle.

Everyone clamoured up a pebbled path that led to huge oak doors. They were finally here. Lily squeaked with excitement. When Hagrid went up to the castle doors and knocked three times, they opened immediately to reveal a tall, slender, dark haired witch deemed in robes of a dull scarlet that matched her pointed hat. The few murmuring students fell silent since this witch was hardly one to be messed with.

"Hagrid," the witch addressed. "I commend you for your punctuality, but there is no need to arrive so close to the wire."

"Terribly sorry, Professor McGonagall, it won' happen again."

"Thank you very much. I'll take them from here."

With a sweeping hand, Professor McGonagall ushered everyone into a high ceilinged entrance hall that was a spectacle all in itself. There was faint chattering coming from a tall doorway on the right of the hall and another surge of excitement and anxiousness flew up and down Lily's spine; the feeling continued while entering a small, cramped room. The Professor appeared at the head of the crowd.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is-"  
Lily internally sighed at the introduction, having heard the gist of the speech from Severus over the summer when asking the countless questions about the wizarding world. Still, she kept steady eye contact, fearing that any actions committed might ruin her chances of entering the school.

"-The Sorting Ceremony will take place in front of the school in a few minutes. I suggest you all compose yourselves beforehand," McGonagall made her way towards the door. "I shall come back when we're ready for you. Please wait quietly." And she left.

Lily rocked back and forth, looking up at the ceiling, smoothed out her robes, trying to steel herself for the ceremony.

"Are you nervous?" Severus whispered beside her.

"A bit, yeah," she swallowed. Her heart was beating with anticipation. "It's just a hat, right?"

"Yeah, just a hat," Severus reassured.

Others around them were marveling at the few portraits on the wall, shrieked with surprise when they spoke to them and were too shy to speak back. One particular student, Lily saw, was staring fixedly at the ground, willing himself not to be sick. She figured she'd be the same if she never had met Sev.

"Yeah, whatever the test is, I'm gonna be ready for it," James could be heard in the corner of the room. "I've watched my dad do all kinds of spells before. But if it's some pop quiz or something, I'm sure I can get out of it."

Before any retort could be made back to James, the doors opened to reveal Professor McGonagall again.

"The Sorting Ceremony is about to begin," she announced. "Form yourselves in a line and follow me."

Eager students filed in a single line as the Professor lead them to a set of heavy double doors. With Lily in tow behind Severus, peered up to the elevated platform where all the teachers seemed to be sitting. And on a rickety stool, the center of attention was on a brown, patched, pointed hat. Students jumped as the hat sprung to life, opening a rip above the brim like a yawning mouth. To the first year's bewilderment, the hat started to sing:

"Here I sit with all attention

pointed right on me

and soon I'll tell with much delight,

of what I can foresee.

I am the Sorting Hat of Hogwarts.

Why? That's shown quite clearly

Step yourself up to this stool  
And your mind will work just plainly.

For in your mind, there is a secret

Of what? I can't be sure.

But I can find them

And I can tell you what you have in store.

Is your heart filled to burst with kindness

and you think you've had enough?

Then I would think the perfect House

is dear, great Hufflepuff.

Or maybe you are cunning

and your drive is more than most.

Then I will welcome hither in

for you belong in Slytherin.

But if your mind is strong

And you're unafraid to speak your flaws

then you value the gift of learning

and you're true House is the one of Ravenclaw

Or you are brave and mighty

with courage to settle any score

You certainly show chivalry

Then you're destined to be in Gryffindor

Please try not to be alarmed

And also try not to get upset

For I am the Sorting Hat and you will see

that I'll leave you with no regret.

Come sit upon my chair

I can assure there'll be no mishap

Let me welcome you to Hogwarts

For I'm their Thinking Cap!"

The hall erupted in applause and cheers and the hat gave hefty bows to each student table before appearing motionless again. Lily's cheeks hurt from smiling. She couldn't have thought of anything more enjoyable than that performance. But a knot formed prominently in her throat when she saw McGonagall standing next to the Sorting Hat with a large scroll that she knew her name was on.

"When I call your name, come sit on the stool to be sorted," McGonagall stated to the waiting crowd. "Armando, William."

A young boy with full baby cheeks stepped up to the hat and sat prominently into attention. The hat was lowered onto his head, getting caught by his large ears. There was a pause from the hat.

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted.

The table to the immediate right of the center of the hall cheered loudly. The young William scurried to his new classmates.

"Black, Sirius." McGonagall called.

Lily saw in her peripheral vision Sirius tense up. James and Remus clapped him encouragingly on the back. Peter gave an optimistic smile. Sirius sat on the stool and the hat sat on his head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat immediately bellowed.

It took a moment, but a shell-shocked Sirius Black stumbled off the stool, flashed a grin to the other first years, and sat grateful at the Gryffindor table.

Realizing that she would soon be called, a terrifying thought crossed Lily's mind. What was she supposed to think about when she had the hat on the head. That wasn't stated clearly in the beginning introductions. Or it was and she just missed it. Panic flooded through Lily once more as she searched her mind for something to think about for the Sorting Hat. She looked to Severus and used him as her anchor for her nerves. Lily also peered around her at the different tables, looking at the different students. The older ones seemed nice. She really didn't have to be intimidated at all. This school seemed forgiving and welcoming to all. There was even a boy in green robes with long, platinum blond hair. She thought he looked ridiculous and so Lily looked away quickly to avoid letting out a snicker.

"Evans, Lily."

Jostled back to present, Lily managed a small grin as she stepped to the stool despite her shaking legs. When the hat came down on her head she thought a simple "Hello."

The hat barely sat there a second before bellowing, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The table that had welcomed Sirius burst in applause and Lily made her way to her House. Looking back to Severus, he gave her fleeting smile which she returned; he seemed disappointed with Lily not being in Slytherin. She wanted to make it up to him somehow.

The Sorting continued and Lily had a ways to wait for the "S" last names so she could cheer on Severus. Name after name was called on Professor McGonagall's list. After the name "Longbottom" went to Hufflepuff, Remus Lupin from the train was called. Sitting on the stool, the Sorting Hat crisply shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" and he made it to the table to meet Sirius' high five. There was a "McDonald" and a "McKinnon" both to Gryffindor, "Nelson" to Ravenclaw, "Nobson" to Slytherin, and all the rest of the Sortings went quickly and efficiently. Until Peter Pettigrew.

The hat sat on his head silently, an internal pleading and struggle was plain on Peter's face. After a few minutes, the hat bellowed "GRYFFINDOR!" and Peter collapsed at his new House table. Remus and Sirius gave him pats of congratulations. There was murmuring around the other tables. Lily heard the word "hatstall" being passed around.

The next sorting worth mentioning was the frivolous James Potter. He strode up to the hat with the utmost confidence and determination, seemingly charged on adrenaline alone. The hat spoke out "GRYFFINDOR!" before even grazing his head. James left the stool and gave a fist to the air in triumph. Sirius, Remus, and Peter cheered deafeningly as James sat at the table. Lily couldn't help but smile at the cheeriness of the group.

Skipping a few, and McGonagall finally called "Snape, Severus." Lily leaned forward and hoped that whatever happened, her friend would be happy in whatever House he was Sorted in. Thankfully, as soon as the hat met Sev's head, it bellowed "SLYTHERIN!" and he quickly sat at his table. Lily and Severus met eyes and smiled from across the room but there was a bitter sweetness between them. The Sorting quickly ended and there was a gentle murmuring of voices across the hall. Most of the first years were discussing being starved. Lily overheard a few of her new housemates talking.

"I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse."

"Don't you mean a unicorn?"

"Don't be stupid, James."

"You're right, I can do better."

The crowd fell silent as a man at the head of the elevated table with a long white beard and half moon glasses. He spoke confidently.

"Welcome," he began. "to a brand new year at Hogwarts! This year will, in no doubt, be better than the last! Let us all enjoy our feast!" And with a wave of his hand, the golden plates set in front of students in the hall were stacked to tipping point with food of the greatest variety. All the first years gaped and soon began loading their dishes to their heart's content. Hurriedly, Lily stacked some mashed potatoes and roasted turkey onto her plate and began pushing away from the table when a voice interrupted her.

"My dear lady, where are you headed off to?"

Turning, Lily jumped at the sight of an actual ghost in a ruffled collar speaking to her. "-I was just going to-" Lily could only point in the general direction of Severus at the Slytherin table.

The ghost gave her a regretful look. "I'm sorry to say, you're only permitted to eat at your House table with all of your comrades." Lily nodded briefly and the ghost gave her a curt nod before passing right through her. Lily shivered as the feeling of cold water being poured over her head passed. She absent mindedly sat back at her spot and stared blankly at her food, deciding on what just happened.

"Honestly, you couldn't tell at all. Everyone's sure to look nervous when they step up."

"Yeah, but my knees shook the chair," The girl across the table fretted. "My large, door knob knees."

"Alice, you're worrying too much. At least you were sorted!" The battling voice assured Alice.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I'm in Gryffindor. Can you imagine? Me, all tall and honorable? I only thought Gryffindor were full of themselves, at least that's what my mum always said, being from Ravenclaw and all that."

"Some of that's still true," a third voice added in. She nodded her head over to a couple Gryffindor boys sticking hands and utensils through unsuspecting headless horsemen ghosts. Lily joined in with the other girls' giggling.

"They're supposed to be older than us, aren't they?" Lily casually jibed.

"Quite right. But, at least there's proof we won't die of boredom at this school," The first girl agreed. She turned to Lily. "Hi, I'm Marlene."

"I'm Lily," she smiled.

Alice had started running her hands through the blond hair draped over her shoulder. "I'm Alice."

"I'm Mary," said the voice from down the table.

"Happy first day," Lily greeted.

"'Tis a fine evening to be sure," The ghost was back. "Especially with an excellent grouping of new Gryffindors like yourselves."

"I bet you say that every year, Sir Nicholas," Marlene said.

"That's because it's true every year." Sir Nicholas decided as he glided away. As he was leaving, Alice leaned after him.

"It was nice to meet you!" she called.

Afterwards, there was a comfortable silence between the little group that resulted in Lily's ears drifting farther up the table.

"I can't believe it," Peter gasped. "I bet I looked like a right git sitting there. In front of Dumbledore too! The Albus Dumbledore!"

"Aw, Pete. It's not that bad. I'm just glad that we get to keep you around," Sirius tried to console.

"But he's a legend! I'd give anything to know what he thinks of me."

"I wouldn't worry about it. He's been at this school for so long, every student probably looks the same to him," James reassured cooly, popping an apple wedge in his mouth.

"And if he doesn't take to you, I'll bet he'll get you like he did Grindelwald," Sirius snickered.

"Bet that'd be a laugh, wouldn' it?"

"It'd really be something to see them close this school. But that'd probably wouldn't happen even then." Remus exclaimed.

"Good to know I mean that much," Peter grumbled feebly.

"Come now, Pete. You're our pal now! You're already part of our new team," James said cheerily.

"What do we need a team for?" Remus asked.

"Rames, we have the opportunity of a lifetime here! Imagine it, all four of us ruling the school by 7th year. We've got to start early to make our mark as soon as possible. And you lucky lads have been chosen by me to help on my conquest," James exclaimed.

"Whatever you want, mate." Sirius conceded.

"No take backs," James stated as Remus and Peter nodded in agreement with Sirius.

Lily picked up her glass and wondered about that group. James seemed to be full of himself. But, with one taste of her drink, he was pushed from her mind.

The feast ended with the rich desserts being cleared from each golden plate and the Hall was still fresh with new friendships being made. Dumbledore stood up once again.

"Before you all depart to your respected Houses, I have a few start-of-term notices to announce," the entire hall was silent. "First years, you shall note that the forest on Hogwarts grounds is forbidden to enter. And if you're an older student of Hogwarts, let this be your reminder.

"Secondly, I've been reminded by our caretaker, Mr. Apollyon Pringle, that there will be no wandering the corridors after hours and no magic is to be used between classes in the corridors."

"And finally, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone who's interested in trying out and playing for their house teams should contact Madame Hooch.

"Now, all of you, off to bed!" Dumbledore declared with a wide sweep of his hands and a wide grin on his face. The hall erupted with cheers.

The Head Girl and Boy of Gryffindor started leading the first years away towards their bed chambers. Lily purposely strayed to the back of the line and scanned the crowd of students for Severus.

"Hey Lily, are you coming?" Mary asked.

"I'll catch up with you later!" Lily yelled back.

Lily finally saw Severus walking with the other Slytherins. They made eye contact and ducked together in the passing crowds.

"Hi," Lily started awkwardly.

"Hey," Severus said uneasily.

"Listen, I'm sorry that I'm not in the same House as you. There's really no control over it."

Severus held up his hands abruptly. "It's okay. We can still hang out all the time… Slytherin and Gryffindor have a few classes together so we can still see each other."

Lily sighed in relief at the reassurance. "I'm glad. I thought you'd think differently of me."

"I'd never think badly about you, Lily." Severus stated sincerely.

"Aw, Sev you're the best." Lily concluded. "I gotta go catch up with the others. I'll see you later!" And Lily ran off, leaving Severus with a smile so big that hurt.

Lily followed the remaining crowd of Gryffindors down a hallway that led deeper into the castle. She was in the midst of upperclassman so she nimbly skirted back to the first years and landed right next to Mary.

"There you are! I was afraid you'd miss the password handouts."

The mass of students made it to an open stairwell with giant, looming, stone steps leading to different landings. One of the leading voices instructed the students from ahead.

"Keep an eye on the moving staircases. They have that name for a reason. Please know where you're going. Don't get lost." the Head Girl directed.

Better said than done, of course. Lily thought.

The first years were led to a portrait that touched the ceiling and floor. In the portrait was a woman in a pink, lace dress placed in front of an exotic background. Like the portraits from the waiting room, she came to life.

"Password?" she asked.

"Nether Wart," The Head boy answered and the portrait swung forward to reveal the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round tower room warmly lit with crackling firelight from the fireplaces; light bouncing off the overstuffed couches and chairs in the room.

"Hello all first years! My name is Claire Switch, your Gryffindor Head Girl for this year."

"And I'm Head Boy, Michael Mcconville. If any of you have questions at all this year about schedules or where your classes are, come to us."

"Now, we were fortunate to not run into him, but I advise you all to steer clear of Peeves the Poltergeist. But if Peeves does run into you, and you'll know it because he'll be throwing things at you, just ignore him."

"Just letting you know about that. Now, girls dormitories are to your right and boys to your left. You'll get your schedules first thing tomorrow morning. We'll wake you up tomorrow in time for breakfast."

"Sleep well!" Claire said before leaving, being trailed by Michael.

"Hey Marlene, can I bunk next to you?" Lily asked once everyone filed into their bedroom tower.

"Sure, of course." Marlene yawned before sprawling on her poster bed.

Lily claimed her bed and pulled her curtains shut after poking her head out to bid a quick goodnight to her Gryffindor friends. She dug in her trunk from the side of her bed and pulled out one of her new quills, a parchment, and an ink bottle and started a letter to her parents.

Dear Mum and Dad,

I'm writing like I promised I would! Hogwarts is absolutely spectacular and I can tell that school's going to be a blast. The train ride was lovely and I'm very safe and comfortable, so there's no need to worry. I got sorted into Gryffindor house and I think I've made new friends already. Severus sends his love. I'll write to you as often as I can. Tell Petunia I miss her.

Lots of Love, Lily

Lily knew that her parents would like a longer update on the last few hours but it was the best she could manage against her worsening fatigue. She tucked the letter on top of the heap currently in her trunk and got under the covers to finally conclude her first night at Hogwarts.


	2. Chapter 2

A week into the first term, Lily was enjoying her new classes: Astronomy; Charms; Defense Against the Dark Arts; Herbology; History of Magic; Potions; and Transfiguration. Potions was the most fun, because it included spending time with Severus; Lily picked her cauldron space next to his. She had been spending more time with Marlene, Mary, and Alice even after she told them her parents were Muggles. She was mortified when they first talked about their families during Transfiguration class ever since Severus previously warned her about some wizards prejudice over Muggle-born students. She could've lied, and she almost did until Mary said that she and her parents were shell-shocked by the news of the magical world when she received her letter.

"I mean, there were weird things going on like, candles flickering on randomly or something like that, but we'd always assumed we lived with a ghost. It'd be fine either way, really."

Lily mentioned how she was relatively the same but she once levitated off of a swing set. The others stared at her in awe.

"Seriously? That's so cool!" Mary gaped. "Is that when you knew you had magic?"

"Well, someone told me I was a witch right after that happened the first time. He's my best friend now."

"Really? What's his name?" Marlene smirked.

"Severus. You wouldn't know him, though. He's in Slytherin," Lily casually mentioned.

"Snivellus!" Sirius chortled, overhearing the conversation.

"Shut up Black!" Marlene automatically muttered.

"Oooo harsh words. Be careful, or you might actually offend someone these days," Sirius sneered back.

Professor McGonagall tapped her wand menacingly on her desk, ordering students back to their tasks. Sirius turned back to James, Peter, and Remus who were all supporting devilish grins and biting back laughter. Lily rolled her eyes.

Everyone had been tasked with changing a snail's shell into porcelain as the first step in turning them fully into teacups. A few minutes passed and all of a sudden, a spell jet cast and struck the ancient globe sitting next to the desk at the head of the room. McGonagall stood abruptly.

"James Potter. Detention."  
"Why do you assume it was me?" James immediately protested.

"I hardly need to explain my reasonings to you, Mr. Potter. Detention."

"But Professor, I hardly think that it's fair to get in trouble for doing magic in a magic school."

"Thus, you admit your guilt. I'll see you at seven tonight."  
James turned back around and sneered at Sirius who was sporting a satisfied smirk at him.

"You too Mr. Black," Mcgonagall stated.

Before there could be further objection from Sirius, the bell sounded, signalling the end of class. James and Sirius quickly ducked out into the corridor, trailing Remus and Peter behind them. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, they're so exhausting! All they do is muck around and get into fights!" she exclaimed.

"It's like they are completely immune to being expelled." Marlene agreed.

"Just ignore it. The teachers can set them straight. And if they can't, there's always Dumbledore," Mary pointed out.

"That's true. But if they test me, I'll charm them right in the face. Especially Potter," Lily vowed. "He's an absolute––absolute toerag. I can think of no better name for it." The others laughed.

A commotion sounded when the group rounded the hallway to the Fat Lady portrait. None other than Peeves the Poltergeist loomed over the Gryffindor doorway turned downward at a cluster of students, making a marvel of himself. Lily stopped suddenly.

"Actually, I think I'll catch up with you later. I promised Severus that I'd meet him in the library."

Marlene and Mary stopped on the stairs. "Um… okay! Don't make Madame Pince angry!" Marlene warned.

"Oh, never," Lily laughed as she retreated back down the steps.

././././././././././././.

Stepping into the library gave a fresh aroma of perfectly aged paper. These aged books were always under a watchful and possibly overbearing eye of Madame Pince. You couldn't find a speck of dust on any of the shelves, or an out of place quill mark on any page. Lily entered quickly and quietly with a bowed head because she was still frankly intimidated by the librarian. Thankfully, Severus was sitting at one of the tables closest to the door.

"I'm here," Lily greeted with a smile as she slid onto the bench next to her friend. Severus stood up the book he had in his hand to shield the two from the view of the rest of the students.

"Hey. I was afraid you might not show up," he whispered.

"Well, of course I came. We hardly caught up during Potions,"  
"How do you expect me to do well in that class when you're trying to talk to me all the time?" Severus smiled and so did Lily. She knew that no matter how hard he tried, Severus would never be able to ignore her.

There came a loud, raspy shush as Madame Pince dropped down beside them, causing the two to jump.

"If you want social time, do it in the Great Hall! Please get out! You're disrupting other students." Madame ordered while disrupting the students more than either Lily or Severus. As they stood to leave, Lily saw Severus wave goodbye to a small group of kids sitting at a table next to theirs. When one of them made eye contact with Lily, they quickly turned away. She decided to ask about them to Severus when they were walking in the corridors.

"Who were you waving at in the library?"

Severus looked down at the tall stack of books he was carrying. "They were just a few Slytherins I know now."

"So you're making friends?" Lily smiled.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I was just worried I guess," Lily winced; she had meant to say she was wondering but instead said what she considered to be slightly rude. Luckily, Severus took no notice of the exact meaning of her comment.

"You worry about me?"

"Well, of course I do! You're my best friend and I'm glad you're fitting in."

The two smiled at each other, the matter dropped for the time being. In their comfortable silence, slapping of shoes on the floors thundered behind them and before they could move, they were being shoved aside by none other than James Potter and Sirius Black.

"Hey! A little heads up would be nice. Say you're sorry!" Lily demanded as she stood up.

James scoffed at her. "Don't expect me to be nice to you just because you're a girl. Besides, he deserves it," James nodded at Severus. "Slytherins deserve to be in the dirt." Sirius smiled and smacked James on the back and they took off down the corridor while Sirius chanted, "GRYFFINDOR RULES!"  
Lily glared after them and continued with Severus, reassuring him that James Potter was full of himself all the way. To change the subject, Lily playfully suggested braiding Severus' hair.

././././././././././././

James and Sirius rounded the corner to see Remus and Peter staring intently out the window of the corridor. Sirius called out their arrival.

"Wotcher James!" Remus greeted before looking to Sirius. "Have you told him yet?"

"I was waiting for the big reveal. Has it done anything since I left?"

"Completely stationary," Peter replied. "That bird seems to have disappeared too. I wonder if we should be concerned."

"What on earth are you three talking about?" James asked.

"Something amazing–"

"They just got finished planting it–"

"It's a spectacle only read about in myth–"

Sirius, Peter and Remus pushed James to the window onlooking the grassy hills near the border of the Forbidden Forest. Placed on the hills was a looming willow tree. Doing absolutely nothing.

"Am I missing something?"

"Oh you should've seen it! Sirius was the first one to spot it –" Remus started.

"It was swinging it's branches like arms!" Sirius interrupted.

"I think you're referring to the wind, there, friend," James said after a few seconds of thought.

"No no! We can prove it. Go out and touch it," Sirius exclaimed, earning a gasp from Peter.

James stared unbelievingly at Sirius. "You're freaking me out. I'm not going to go out there just to prod at a tree, mate. I'm nearly late to my next class."

After being stared with an equally bewildered stare by the three boys, James doubled over with laughter. "Merlin, you thought I was serious?! You guys are really gullible. I'm no priss."

And with those last words, James jogged outside straight up to the willow tree. He spun around and gave a big wave to the window his audience was watching out of. In fluid motion, James turned on his heel, gave the trunk of the willow a hefty slap and was sent sprawling through the air as the tree hit him heavily in retaliation. James ended up in the Hospital Wing with a broken shoulder blade while sporting a broken nose from his landing and Gryffindor was docked 200 points for the stupidity of a first year.


End file.
